Chapter Four

"Are you okay?" Eliora asked when she saw me staring at Ashton and his new love in front of me. He was teasing her, while she was hitting him playfully, they were both laughing. My forehead creased, we were like that too. 

I clicked my tongue, "I'm fine, Eliora. Why?" I turned to her with a small smile. Eliora stares at me and tilted her head. She glances at them and turns back to me with narrowed eyes, "You're jealous..." she mutter to me as I immediately shook my head. "As if. Why would I be jealous? We never even dated." 

Eliora looked at me painfully. I sighed and convinced her I was really fine. That it didn't hurt when I saw him with someone new again, with my friend. The girl she liked after me lasted for a year and a half before the girl turned him down because she liked someone else that time from another school. Now, Ashton is obviously flirting with May. They tease each other all day, running around the classroom as Ashton is running away from May because he just pissed her off, which we always did way back. It was fine, really. It just hurt when he found someone immediately after he was done with me. It was like he never loved me at all. 

"...Why are you here again?" I asked, narrowing my eyes and plastered a smile. He faked a smile too, "I had something to talk about with the teacher. And why are you here?" he asked back. I chuckled and gave him a ticked smile. "I'm here to practice, of course, you know that..." 

We both were walking the same way, which was weird because the second floor is where our classroom is and he's following me to the band room, which is on the first floor. Our school is a private little one. When you enter the school, you can immediately see the court and when you walk to the left, there is a stairs to the side that leads to the second floor while beside it is where parents usually wait for their children to finish their classes and meet them there. It is also called the waiting area. When we finish classes, that place is where we often put our bags at the benches because who would wear their heavy bags while they play, right?. Ahead of the waiting area in another court, a covered one. And a stage. That court is where we do our flag ceremonies and other activities.

Walk ahead of the court is the cashier and walk a little more is the classrooms and the canteen. As I have said, the first floor is for the grade school students while the second floor is for highschool students. At the side of the canteen, there is another stairs that leads to the second floor. Walk ahead of the canteen is the grade school classrooms. Some designs are seen in front of the classrooms, such as dinosaurs little statues. If you walk until the very end, there is another stairs that leads to the second floor again. While beside the stairs is the band room.

Is he following me? I thought to myself for we have passed many stairs that leads to the second floor and he's still here, beside me walking. We finally reached the last stairs that leads to the second floor when he parted. I stare at him as he started to walk when he turned around, meeting eyes with me. I immediately turned away and I could see from the side of my eyes how his lips curved upward. 

"Strange isn't it?" Eliora asked as she looks above. 

I raise a brow, "What is?"

She shrugs. "How you can be desperately in love with someone even when you haven't spoken to or even seen them for years. I think it's incredible how despite the distance between two people, you will never stop loving them. That's just how love works I supposed, you either love them forever or you never loved them to begin with. Love doesn't leave just because the person does." 

Austin and I nodded our head in agreement when they both looked at me. I exchanged glances and asked, "What?"

Austin spoke, "It's obvious that you still love him and that he still loves you, Luna." to which Eliora nodded her head. I scoffed and shake my head, "No, of course not. We don't even talk anymore. That's weird if I still love him after all these years."

"Then why are you guys still not talking to each other? If you moved on, it would have been fine to talk again. We get it, when someone we know, especially classmates, get together then break up, of course, it would be awkward and they won't talk for some time. But when they both moved on, they will talk again as friends like nothing ever really happened between them. That's how it's supposed to work. That's how we worked it, you know?" Austin explained. "So it's obvious you both still love each other."

"Don't base it on something like that-" Austin cut me off, putting his hand on my mouth. 

"If you don't tell him how you feel, how will he know?"

"Great. I see you've been practicing well in your home, we'll see each other next week." Our maestro said as we started to stand up and arrange our things. We started going outside of the room as we bid farewell to the maestro.

"Is he still bothering you, Luna?" Eliora asked. 

"He's not bothering her, he just wants to be friends again." Austin defended as he walks beside me. The three of us are a part of a band. Basically, I dragged them with me. 

I sigh. "Why would he even want to be friends with me now?"

The both of them shrugs their shoulders. There has been a lot of things happened after Ashton stopped talking to me. Of course, it was three years. Desperation, intense crying, laughters, smiles, heartbreak. If only he knows how hard it was when he avoided me. When we reached the gate, Ashton was still there, talking to the guard. I stiffens and he noticed us coming towards him. Eliora pushed me a little and the both of them gave me a sinister smile.

"Told you he still loves you." Austin mumbles. I rolled my eyes and walked ahead of them. Ashton was resting his arm on the table the guard was using as he locks eyes with me. I continue to walk until I passed him and I could hear his conversation with the guard.

"Well, I'll be going home now. Bye, guard." he loudly said. I could hear his footsteps getting closer and closer until he was beside me. I glared at him and he smiled. 

"Were you waiting for me?" I asked pissed. Ashton chuckled, "Yes, I was." he grinned. Our classmates who were also in the same group as us shrieks behind us. I turned around and both of my friends were shouting along. 

"Hey, why are you guys beside each other? Are you finally talking? Lunash is back!" they teased. I rolled my eyes and gave them a faked smile. I glance at Ashton if he was embarrassed or shy because that was how he always was. He would laugh and play along with the people who teased us. 

But the look on his face...it was like he was scared. He was terrified.